Biography

About Leslie

Leslie Primo is an art historian, author, lecturer and broadcaster with a BA in Art History and an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck, University of London.

Leslie Primo with Lorenzo Monaco's painting The Coronation of the Virgin.

Milestones

  1. Birkbeck, University of LondonBA in Art History and MA in Renaissance Studies.
  2. 2000Starts lecturing at the National GalleryHe lectured there for 18 years.
  3. 2007Oxford Companion to Black British HistoryContributor to the first edition.
  4. 2018Leaves the National GalleryAfter 18 years. He also lectures at the National Portrait Gallery.
  5. 2023“On Land and Sea”For the Royal Academy Magazine, No. 161, Winter 2023, with the Entangled Pasts exhibition.
  6. 2025The Foreign Invention of British ArtPublished by Thames & Hudson on 5 June 2025.

Specialisms

  • Early medieval art and architecture
  • Italian Renaissance art
  • German art in the age of the Reformation
  • The Medici and patronage
  • Mythology in the work of Peter Paul Rubens

Where he teaches

Leslie teaches regular courses in a variety of London locations and across the UK at these institutions:

  • National Portrait GalleryFor the past ten years
  • The Arts Society
  • Imperial College LondonSouth Kensington campus
  • City Lit
  • The CourseUniversity Women's Club, Mayfair

He has also taught courses at Reading University and the Bishopsgate Institute.

Television and radio

  • Art on the BBCBBC Four. Presented Turner – Light and Landscape and spoke about Michelangelo.
  • Renaissance: The Blood and the BeautyContributor. BBC Two.
  • Turner: The Secret SketchbooksContributor. BBC Two.
  • L.S. Lowry: The Unheard TapesContributor. BBC Two.
  • Moving PicturesPanellist several times, including an episode on the Adoration of the Magi. BBC Radio 4.

See his television work

Writing

The cover of The Foreign Invention of British Art by Leslie Primo, with a painted portrait of a bearded man in a fur-trimmed coat.
The Foreign Invention of British ArtThames & Hudson, 5 June 2025About the book
  • “On Land and Sea”Royal Academy Magazine, No. 161, Winter 2023, for the Entangled Pasts exhibition.
  • Depicting the MagiEssay for Art UK.
  • Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance ArtArt history consultant. Getty.
  • DK Life Stories: Leonardo da VinciArt history consultant. A children's book for ages 7 to 11.
  • Oxford Companion to Black British HistoryContributor to the first edition, 2007.

What audiences say

An absolutely amazing & so informative (as well as free) guided talk by Leslie Primo. He was very audible, knowledgeable & entertaining. So much so that I didn’t notice I’d been standing for an hour, excellent.

National Gallery visitor

I just took the 2:30 guided tour with Leslie Primo. He is far and away one of the most engaging speakers I have had the pleasure of listening to! I am a tour director, so it’s my job to hire local guides/speakers… So I know of what I speak. Bravo, Leslie! Hope to cross paths with you again.

National Gallery visitor

Excellent! What a superb speaker and presenter. Wonderful. What can I say, except I’d like to follow a tour of his again.

Rev Francis Pole, West Sussex
Read 12 more comments

An excellent talk by Leslie Primo – informative and wonderfully interesting, I’m looking forward to his next talk this afternoon, a very good experience.

National Gallery visitor

Just enjoyed a very informative and pleasant, clear free talk from Leslie Primo. Rarely take the time to write comments, but here I had to. Many thanks to the National Gallery for all it has done over the years.

National Gallery visitor

My wife, two adult daughters, and I participated in two of the free guided tours, each in the 2:30 time slot. The first, on May 24, was guided by a man whose last name, I believe, was Primo. He focused on the architecture as well as the paintings. The teacher, Primo (for he was certainly more than a guide), took us to paintings at which we otherwise would barely have glanced. Like most, I expect, we tend to prefer the Impressionists, and we give Medieval and Renaissance paintings little attention. He showed us things in the paintings that we would never have seen. We learned not only about the artists, but also about the subjects and the artists’ relationships with the subjects. The hour barely seemed like 15 minutes. On both occasions, we commented to each other: “I would love to take a class from that fellow.” Our thanks to the National Gallery for making our experience so rewarding.

Visitor from North Oaks, Minnesota, USA

We come each year to the National Gallery to take the tours. Today we took the 11:30 tour with Leslie Primo. It was excellent – the best tour guide we have had for the last few years. He not only explained the paintings academically, which my wife, who is an artist, appreciated, but also explained so that non-artists like I got to understand the painting and its historical context. Later we asked him about Titian – Venice & Florence and he explained with patience and clarity.

National Gallery visitor

I come to London about twice a year and I have often taken advantage of your free get-acquainted tour. I would like to report that today’s tour was the most informative and pleasant I have ever participated in. The gentleman who conducted it, Leslie Primo, made it an experience to remember. Instead of annoying the participants with superfluous instructions (e.g. when to take photos etc.) he spoke in a loud and clear manner and not a word he uttered was banal. I am so glad I braved the pouring rain to make the 11:30 appointment. Today, I learned a lot while enjoying myself. Thanks.

Mario Gargiulo, COL US Army Ret.

Had a brilliant time at the 1st class on “Intro to European Art” by artfirstprimo. A new dimension to my understanding of western culture.

Manimaran Manivannan

Happened today (subtle) stand-up comedy & history of art at its best; by @artfirstprimo at the National Gallery, London. Leslie thank you!

London Free Shows

Just enjoyed excellent, eye-opening course by Leslie Primo on iconography in painting. Highly recommend!

Helen Mason

I wanted to give positive feedback on Leslie Primo’s National Gallery Tour. WOW, what an interesting hour! Leslie’s mind contains a vast amount of information and historical correlations which was most interesting to listen to. He was absolutely mesmerising and really brought the art work to life.

Adonica, visitor to a National Gallery tour

Thank you for an excellent day in the NG yesterday. Please also say thank you again to Leslie for his discourse on the Judgment of Paris and Rubens. It adds so much more to hear the pictures linked as he did. I think I am getting more ‘friendly’ towards Rubens the more I know of him and see of his pictures.

Sally, student

Today I went on a tour of the National Gallery, London with Leslie Primo. It was a most interesting hour, he explained in-depth the paintings, the artists, the history and the artistic techniques. A book or guide book could not have given us such a beautiful description.

Dr G. Brawton, Lincolnshire

Could we please say that the tour at the National Portrait Gallery given by Leslie Primo was an amazing thing to listen to and most enjoyable and the pictures stories alive.

Juli Vaez, Crawley, West Sussex